June, 2110. A serial killer strikes the populace of the City
of Chicago. The first victim is a wanted man by Detective Frank Campanelli’s
Sentinel Division. His body had been mutilated and, from the evidence uncovered
by forensic genius, H. Lincoln Rothgery, it has been partially consumed. The
unknown invader leaves a trail of corpses behind in short order, including that
of a homicide detective.

To add to the mystery, the DNA evidence retrieved from a
stolen vehicle indicates that the killer is former military, but special
encoding prevents the murderer from being identified. Frank’s partner, Marcus
Williams, seems to know more about what’s going on than he lets on, until the
former Navy SEAL calls in a friend from the FBI to help.

“The Nighthunter”, as the media has labeled him, instills
terror and virtually shuts down Chicago. Together, Campanelli, Williams, and
the agent must work to capture the enigmatic and frighteningly efficient
cannibal.

Excerpt

Lincoln
caught Frank’s gaze. “We found two different types of blood, two sets of DNA in
the car.”

“Go on,” McLain prompted.

“Herman Werner’s and the killer’s. No ID’s been
matched to his,” Rothgery stated and stood from his chair. He stepped between
the two detectives and stepped casually toward the sedan. “The killer’s DNA has
been engineered, as has the blood, but there’s no identification to be found in
the cells. He is a he and appears to be of military origin, but it goes beyond
anything I’ve ever seen.”

“So, you’re telling me that the killer is a
soldier. American?” Frank asked as he stopped next to Lincoln and stared at the
driver’s seat of the ruined car.

“I can’t even determine that without a serial
number, Frank.”

“Soldier or not, Mister Rothgery…how the hell did
he get outta that?” McLain asked from Lincoln’s other side. The big man waved
his hand over the wreckage as he spoke. “That should’ve been fatal…engineered
genes or not.”

“I agree.” Rothgery slid his glasses from his
Roman nose and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Gherling is still
researching the DNA and the blood while Teri is carrying out more tests.”

“You said Werner’s blood was in the car,” Frank
stated.

“Yeah,” Lincoln said then nodded. “Not much of it,
though. A lot of the DNA we found in it was from hairs in the carpets and
seats. My opinion is that he used the car for some time. Months, perhaps close
to a year.”

“So, Werner was cut out of the seatbelt…then
thrown through the air.” Kirby stepped up to the side of the car and studied
the sliced seatbelt. In the bright light, the precision cut was much more
impressive.

“Definitely,” H. Lincoln affirmed as he replaced
his eyeglasses. “And…before I forget…there are teeth marks on the body.”

“We saw those,” Frank said. He leaned back on the
workbench behind him and crossed his arms. “The bites on the shoulder.”

“I’m not talking about those, Frank.”

This took Kirby’s attention from the wreck to the
forensic genius. “What are you trying to say, Mister Rothgery?”

“I’m saying he had a little nibble on some muscle
tissue while he cut out the heart and liver. It’s also confirmed that the heart
and liver were eaten.” Lincoln met the eyes of McLain then looked to
Campanelli.

“God,” Kirby uttered and stepped away from the
sedan as if it exuded heat.

“How do you come to that, Lincoln?” Frank asked.

“Pieces of both organs were left behind in the
car. Nothing more than shreds, really. Seems he had to pick them out of his
teeth as he drove.”

Frank lifted his right hand to his chin and rested
it, keeping the left arm tucked. “You’re telling me that we have a soldier of
unknown origin turned cannibal, running around the streets of Chicago.”

“From everything we’ve gathered so far, Frank,
that’s about the size of it.”

Bio:

Frederick was born in Chicago in 1970 and now lives
in Villa Park with his wife, Rae and their three dachshunds. He began by
writing fictional works all through high school, but didn’t take himself
seriously until 2009, when Frederick began writing his first novel, The Dregs
of Exodus, which was self-published in late 2010. This was followed up with
another novel, The Pirates of Exodus in 2012.

Throughout that year and 2013, he continued
writing and published four short stories in eBook form for Kindle. Runt Pulse,
The Fortress of Albion, Lunar Troll, and Campanelli: The Ping Tom Affair.

His third
novel, Campanelli: Sentinel, was picked up by Solstice Publishing in late 2014.
The novella, Minuteman Merlin, was released for the Kindle by Solstice
Publishing in March of 2015 and followed up by his fourth novel, Of Knight
& Devil in September. His fifth novel, Campanelli: Siege of the Nighthunter
was released by Solstice in March, 2016.

He is currently an editor for Solstice Publishing
and working on novel number six, a paranormal historical fiction.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Three days of vacation. Two stepsisters. One mystery
involving a ghost dressed in a leather hat, suit, and boots. Dominique and
Jessica had no idea what awaited them during a weekend vacation with their
parents. They expected fun and excitement, but instead ran into a ghost and a
mystery. Long ago in Connecticut, a man in a patched leather suit and hat
roamed the countryside, living in caves for more than thirty years. Carrying a
sack, pipe, and prayer book, the man came to be known as the Old Leather Man.
His death came with the blizzard of 1889, but who could have guess that he
would return to haunt the stepsisters. A stolen wallet, a threatening anonymous
letter, and a ghostly visit force the stepsisters into late-night sleuthing,
all to uncover the history of the Old Leather Man. Can these teen detectives
find the truth before the Old Leather Man’s ghost returns for good?

Excerpt:

Dominique shivered outside the bookstore, feeling
alone, tired and battered by a negative wind chill that was normal for
Connecticut in October. Her tingling, numb fingers agreed.

This sad bookstore situation was a waste of time
and revealed to Dominique how little her stepsister, Jessica, understood the
idea of family love and bonding. Dominique was not a reader. Didn’t Jess
recognize that more than ten minutes inside a bookstore was much, much too
long?

Twenty minutes earlier, Dominique had entered the
store with Jess. The walls were colorful, lined with every type of reading
material imaginable. She had followed Jessica to the teen section, standing
idle.

“I’m leaving,” Dominique said after ten minutes of
complaining.

“Five more minutes,” Jess had begged. “Look, they
have the next book in the series I’m reading.”

“I’m so happy for you, but you’ve used your five
minutes plus some.” Dominique’s brown eyes flashed with annoyance, the light in
the store highlighting the green flecks in them. Spinning around, her long dark
hair whipped against her shoulders as she executed a neat turn and walked
quickly through the store. She made a happy whistling sound as she exited the
front door.

Twenty minutes was a long time in the cold.
Outside, becoming more frostbit every moment, Dominique’s frustration leaked
into her not so nice thoughts. For anyone other than Jessica, her rapid exit
would have been a huge hint to hurry up and follow, but Jessica remained inside
reading.

Dominique wanted to open the front door again and
scream, “Stop looking through the dumb books,” but yelling might not have gone
over well with all the quiet, bookworm type people. Judging by the constant
ticking of seconds echoing from Dominique’s bright orange Timex watch on her
wrist, she was reminded how long she’d been left waiting in what felt like
sub-zero temperatures. It didn’t matter much what Dominique did or said. Her
stepsister, as usual, ignored her.

To occupy herself, she eyed the books on display
in the front window of the bookstore, skimming the titles. She ignored most of
them, until an ugly face on the cover of a book of Connecticut Legends looked
back at her. She couldn’t help but stare. The man pictured was round and his
bulky brown leather suit made him seem monstrous. Eyes peeked out from under a
large, round leather cap, focused on something beyond the photographer. A hand
rested at his mouth, as if he might be shy. Fascinated by his odd appearance,
she wondered who he was.

Long overdue, Jessica came out the door, a smile
playing on her lips, blue eyes shining with happiness. “That was so fun,” Jess
told Dominique. “I got the next series I’m reading and found a great book on
dating and love. You have to read it after I’m done.”

Boys flocked to Jess, who had already started
dating at the age of thirteen.

“Yeah, sure,” Dominique preferred horses to boys
and could not imagine that ever changing.

Even with Jessica’s company, Dominique could tell
this was going to be a long, dull weekend filled with the boring events her
parents called culture and entertainment.

Bio:

Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and adjunct
instructor at the college level, holding an EdD in Educational Leadership. This
is her fourth novel. In addition to writing fiction, she has contributed to
local newspapers, news and travel blogs including The Patch and Hollywood
Scriptwriter. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two daughters, three
cats, dog, and horse, where she is an active part of the community. Her poetry
won first place in a local writing competition and she is a judge in the annual
town literary competition and arts festival.

The city lights blind your amazement.
The sound of the traffic challenges you to be alive. Families ask bystanders to
make magic and capture the moment with photographs. Newly engaged couples seal
their union by kissing under shooting stars while loving by crossing their
hearts.

But if your heart was under arrest, wouldn't you want to embrace something to
feel like others?

Go insider the world of one courageous sheep as she discovers that her heart
was under attack by darkness. As she travels on a spiritual journey to
understanding her purpose, overcoming the undertones of low confidence,
self-acceptance, and the importance of inspiration, she rose against the odds
with forgiveness and strengthening her faith.

Excerpt:

Your past does
not define your future.

In the dark, we
do not have shadows.

In the light,
we do.

Even me.

Even you.

Even sheep.

It is time out
for hiding the scars and pain.

It is time out
for disguising when we need help.

It is time to
stand up and embrace yourself.

Regardless of
violence.

Regardless of
opinions.

Regardless of
loneliness.

Regardless of
beauty.

You are who you
are.

Your future is
what you want it to be.

You have a
shadow. You have an identity.

Even black
sheep have shadows.

God’s sheep are
only black because society locks us in a room with the light off.